Yesterday PM Modi took off for Bangladesh on a two-day trip to mark the centenary celebrations of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan. This will be PM Modi’s first visit abroad since the coronavirus pandemic and is an example of the importance New Delhi gives to its ties with… Continue reading [Burning Issue] 50 Years of India-Bangladesh Ties

The winds of a tentative peace are once again blowing from Pakistan. India and Pakistan surprised the world last month with a rare joint commitment to respect a 2003 cease-fire agreement. Background Pakistan has been aggressively pushing for ‘peace’ talks with India. The selected PM Imran Khan says peace with Pakistan will give India direct… Continue reading [Burning Issue] India-Pakistan Peace Talks

Two weeks back, the Haryana Governor gave his assent to the Bill providing 75% reservation in the private sector to job seekers from the state. And much recently Jharkhand government announced 75% reservation in private sector jobs with a salary of up to Rs 30,000 for locals. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court had sought responses from… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Domicile Reservations in Private Sector

In a display of multilateral bonhomie, the Quad alliance — India, US, Japan and Australia —have held its first-ever leaders’ summit with an aim to counter China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Quadrilateral Security Dialogue: A Backgrounder Quadrilateral Security Dialogue or the Quad is an informal strategic forum between the United States, Japan, India… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Quadrilateral Security Dialogue

For the first time, the union government, under the ambit of the IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, has brought in detailed guidelines for digital content on both digital media and Over The Top (OTT) platforms. In this issue of BI, we provide you with an overview of its contents, the… Continue reading [Burning Issue] New IT Rules 2021

We are a booming economy and our GDP numbers are a testimony to that fact. But despite this, India, the world’s largest democracy, is failing to ensure basic fundamental rights to its citizens. Most importantly, we have failed to ensure our women’s right against exploitation. We are failing them by the minute. Perhaps, the second.… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Women’s Safety and India

This year’s Union budget was accompanied by the unveiling of the Fifteenth Finance Commission’s report for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26. This report outlines some crucial recommendations for state governments, covering tax devolution, grants from the Centre, and the guidelines for the borrowings that they are permitted to incur over the medium-term. Context The Finance… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Highlights of the 15th Finance Commission Report 2021-26

India is witnessing a historic mass mobilization of farmers against three new farm laws. The country’s government maintains that these laws are the cure for a longstanding agrarian crisis. While this claim has been analysed from several angles, the environmental angle has often been overlooked. This is no small oversight since the agrarian crisis in… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Climate Resilient Agriculture

A massive glacier burst at Chamoli in Uttarakhand has yet again brought back our focus to the dangers of climate change. At least 58 people are confirmed to have been killed and more than 150 are missing. Background The flash flood began on 7 February 2021 in the environs of the Nanda Devi National Park… Continue reading [Burning Issues] Chamoli Disaster

Union Minister for Finance recently presented the Economic Survey 2020-21 in the Parliament. The key highlights are as follows: [1] Saving Lives and Livelihoods amidst a Once-in-a-Century Crisis India focused on saving lives and livelihoods by its willingness to take short-term pain for long-term gain, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Response stemmed from… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Key Highlights of Economic Survey 2020-21

“Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings when the dawn is still dark.” – Rabindranath Tagore (quoted by FM in her Budget Speech) The Union Minister for Finance has finally presented the Union Budget 2021-22 in Parliament, which is the first budget of this new decade and also a digital one in… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Highlights of Union Budget 2021-22

This January 20th officially marked the end of the Trump era in US politics as Joe Biden took over from him to become the 46th president of the United States of America. This major event is seen worldwide as undoing or a reset of American regressive protectionist policies and moves by Donald Trump. The world… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Regime change in the US

As the world’s economy transitions into one where economic value is created by bringing about disruption, and consequently behavioural change, governments know they have to create ample runway space for startups to take off. With that in mind, five years ago, the central government took this into consideration and launched the Startup India Scheme on… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Five Years of Startup India Scheme

India battles on multi-layered fronts to counter cross-border terrorism. Our security forces are constantly engaged in creating an environment of security in the country.  They have been quite successful in diagnosing and executing them. The airstrike after the Pulwama attack and the earlier surgical strike made clear the zero-tolerance policy of India towards terrorism. Context… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Terrorism and the World

This December, we commemorated the 30th anniversary of the HDI. Out of 189 countries, India has ranked 131 on the Human Development Index 2020 prepared by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). With an HDI value of 0.645, the country fell in the medium human development category. People are the real wealth of a nation.… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Three Decades of Human Development Index (HDI)

Our PM has inaugurated Rewari-Madar section of Western Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).  He also flagged off the world’s first double-stack long-haul 1.5-km-long container train hauled by electric traction from New Ateli-New Kishangarh. Last month, he had inaugurated a 351-km section between Khurja and Bhaupur in Uttar Pradesh for commercial operations. For years, freight trains suffered… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Dedicated Freight Corridors

Ethiopia has been on the brink of a civil war. On Nov 4 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed declared war on the country’s Tigray region. The Tigray region is ruled by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The war was declared in response to the TPLF’s attack on a federal military base in Tigray. The… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Ethiopian Crisis and the Geopolitics

We owe it to the next generation who will have to bear the burden of climate change and pay off the debt of the recovery….. The international community, including the European Union (EU) and India, gathered at the Climate Ambition Summit 2020. The Summit was held on the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement. This… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Five Years of Paris Agreement

The rising abuse of narcotic drugs in India has come to limelight after the alleged suicide of a notable actor due to depression induced by chronic drug abuse. Since then, the Narcotics Control Bureau has been making high profile arrests over drugs possession (notably the cannabis). And again in a contrary move, India surprisingly voted… Continue reading [Burning Issue] Substance Abuse in India

Universal vaccination programs have eliminated smallpox and reduced serious diseases including measles, mumps, rotavirus, and polio. But in the coming few months, India will witness another great event in its history — the great Covid vaccination exercise. This is vaccination going to be one of the most anticipated events in the country. This mass universal… Continue reading [Burning Issue] COVID-19 Vaccination Challenges